Glucosamine Research

Sid Kircheimer, author of the best selling book, The Doctors Book of Home RemediesII describes his finding of how glucosamine has been shown to help those suffering from arthritis in a March 2004 article. The article is summarized below:

The increasingly popular glucosamine supplements can actually do more than ease the symptoms of arthritis. Recent research shows that it can also slow down the progression of arthritis and sometimes actually reverse it by rebuilding cartilage.

In one of the recent studies, researchers studied a group of women 50 years of age and older with knee arthritis. After 50 years of age, knee arthritis is more common in women than men.

Significant Improvement in Knee Pain

According to an article in Menopause magazine, a study of 414 women with knee arthritis showed dramatic benefits for those taking glucosamine instead of the placebo. Half the group took 1500 mg of glucosamine sulfate per day. The other women simply took a placebo. After 3 years the glucosamine group experienced no more cartilage loss as measured by x-rays. The placebo group continued their loss of cartilage. Additionally, both pain and mobility showed significant improvements in the women taking the glucosamine. The women’s improvements were significant with respect to their quality of life. Meanwhile, the condition of the placebo group continued to worsen.

In other studies published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and The Lancet researchers in Belgium found very similar results occurring in younger women and men with knee arthritis. 1500 mg of liquid glucosamine were shown time and again to ease the symptoms of arthritis and many times can actually reverse the progression of arthritis.

These Studies show what many already suspected: It seems that almost anyone with knee arthritis can benefit with daily doses of glucosamine And best of all, it is probably safe to say that all joints can benefit from glucosamine. Even though glucosamine has long had a reputation for relieving pain, it is only recently that research has, in fact, backed up the claims.

Glucosamine is naturally produced by the body and found primarily in joint cartilage, where it's believed to help maintain joint health and resilience. Although glucosamine supplements have long enjoyed a reputation for easing knee pain, only recently have they garnered convincing scientific evidence to back up these claims.

SOURCES: Bruyere, Menopause, March 2004; vol 11: .Pavelka, K, Archives of Internal Medicine, Oct. 2002; vol 162: . Reginster, JY, The Lancet, Jan., 2001; vol 357:. Lucio C. Rovati, clinical pharmacology, University of Milano; researcher, Rotta Research Laboratory, Monza, Italy. John Klippel, MD, CEO, The Arthritis Foundation, Atlanta, GA.